Adverse Effects of Assisted Reproductive Technology and Pregnancy Outcome

A review of: Stromberg B, Dahlquist LG, Ericson A et al. 2002 Teratological sequelae in children born after in vitro fertilization: A population based study. Lancet 359: 461–465; Schieve LA, Meikle SF, Ferre C et al. 2002 Low and very low birth weight in infants conceived with use of assisted reproductive technology. N Engl J Med 346:731–737; and Hansen M, Kurnczuk JJ, Bower C, et al. 2002 The risk of major birth defects after intracytoplasmic sperm injection and in vitro fertilization. N Engl J Med 346:725–730

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is undoubtedly Gideon Koren one of the most important achievements of medical science in the last generation. Similar to other revolutionary modalities, serious adverse effects of new methodologies take years to surface, because most significant side effects are rare. The question of whether manipulation of the human egg and sperm will cause them damage has always been of high priority for biologists and clinicians advancing the field of IVF. Until recently, emphasis has been focused on increasing the efficiency of the process, while decreasing the morbidity associated with multiple pregnancies.

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